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One Player, Each Team - NFL Edition

No, its not Christmas, albeit for some, football season is better than Christmas. The hot humid summer air, is slowly turning to cool, crisp, and dry and helmet straps are being buckled. Football is back, which means one thing, fantasy football is back. I am here to tell you that if you could take just one player from each team, these are the guys you need to target.

(AFC Edition)

Buffalo Bills - Definitely a tough start, but it only can go up from here. Let's be honest, you should stay away from Buffalo Bills, but, that's not how this article goes. In the past, the easiest and most obvious choice is LeSean McCoy. However, with the legal issues he is currently going through, he makes a very risky pick. I am not proud to say it, but McCoy would probably still have to be the one Bill to target, but only if he drops to the 3rd or 4th round, or even beyond which makes him a no brainer at that point. You just have to be ready for a possible suspension if the abuse allegations are deemed true, at which point we will finally know why his nickname is Shady....

Miami Dolphins - Jay Ajayi was shipped out last season. Jarvis Landry headed for "the land," and Devonte Parker can't stay healthy. Where does that leave us? One player to keep an eye on is Kenyon Drake. He took over the lead back role last season after the Ajayi trade and proved to be a viable RB2 racking up nearly 600 yards, 3 scores and averaging nearly 5 yards a carry. He also is a pass catching back (32 catches last year) making him a good selection for PPR leagues. If you're in a non PPR league though, let me throw you a curveball. Kenny Stills. He is a big play, high target threat and has a combined 15 touchdowns the last two seasons. Easily worthy of a late round flyer/bye week fill in.

New England Patriots - Yes your "GOAT" (lord I hate that...) continues to defy logic, but he is still 41. Yes Gronk is an absolute monster, but somehow he's softer than baby food. Edelman is suspended for not being pliable enough. So where do you turn? For me, its Chris Hogan. I am high on Hogan for two reasons. One, hes a strong red zone target. Two, the first four weeks while Edelman is gone, he has a chance to become Brady's main target. If he can take that and stay healthy, Hogan could see around 10 touchdowns. Hey, did you know Chris Hogan played lacrosse?

New York Jets - Jets huh. Umm. Wow, this is tough. Lets start out by saying just avoid the Jets completely. But if a gun is being held to your head and you have to pick one, lets run through our options. They have Isaiah Crowell now. But still have Elijah McGuire and Bilal Powell and brought in the remains of Thomas Rawls. There is Sam Darnold, but unless you are in a keeper/dynasty league, riding rookie quarterbacks is not the way to go. The Wide Receivers look worse than the Cowboys' wide outs. Where do you turn? With the absolute least amount of confidence I say Quincy Enunwa. At 6-2, 225 he is an absolute unit on the outside. He missed all of last year hurt, so durability is a concern, so is the quarterbacks being capable of getting him the football. There is upside there at least though. Hey, did you know the Jets have Terrell Pryor now? Oh, I don't recommend drafting him, just making conversation.

Houston Texas - Lets make this quick and easy. I love, LOVE, DeAndre Hopkins this year. A healthy Watson. A healthy Hopkins. Could be an absolute gold mind. If I am picking early, I am looking at Ezekiel Elliot, but if I am middle to late first round, Hopkins is my pick every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Indianapolis Colts - Right off the bat you would think Andrew Luck. I don't though. Now, I am not saying don't draft Andrew Luck, because if people stay away and he falls, he is 100 percent worth the risk. I am passing on TY Hilton because he has constantly shown, its big play or bust. I want more consistency. I want more touchdowns. This leads me to one of my breakout candidates this year. Jack Doyle. Doyle has been hyped before as a sleeper, but he finally has a good quarterback to feed him the ball. As Luck eases back into the pace of the game, look for him to look Doyle's way often, especially down in the red zone. Doyle is a TE to target if you miss out on Kelce, Gronk, or Ertz early on.

Jacksonville Jaguars - You very well could argue that the one "player" to target for fantasy purposes is the Jaguars defense. Best fantasy defense a year ago and will be right back up there this year. I however, am looking at Leonard Fournette this year. Rookie year is now under his belt, and Blake Bortles is still at the helm, which means plenty of ground work. Especially so at the goaline. I predict Fournette to be a no-brainer RB2 and a borderline RB1.

Tennessee Titans - I don't like the amount of hype on Derrick Henry. It seems people completely forgot that Tennessee also brought in Dion Lewis from the Patriots who is there to take some carries, but all the pass catching downs. If you are in a PPR league, Lewis is actually the RB you want here, non PPR just flat out makes it an iffy situation. This is why my eyes have been glued to someone else. Taywan Taylor. An absolute burner at wide out and should be starting opposite of Corey Davis. Taywan already has a couple preseason touchdowns, but more importantly the Titans are showing he will be a focal point of their offense. Slants, screens, deep balls. They appear ready to rip the training wheels off of him and set him free as a game changer. WR3 with WR2 upside.Baltimore Ravens - This is another avoid at all costs team (AFC trend...). Their best players are PROBABLY their wide receivers with newly acquired Willie Snead, Michael Crabtree, and John Brown. There is not one standout among them though, and Flacco has been brutal in recent years so their is legit concern for how many catches and touchdowns any of these receivers can get. If you have to pull the trigger on anyone in Baltimore, honestly, it is kicker Justin Tucker. That's right, the kicker. Arguably the best kicker in the game in recent years and your safest bet for fantasy production out of a Raven's player.

Cincinnati Bengals - AJ Green is now 30 and Andy Dalton is not good. Off the field issues aside, Joe Mixon is the player to target from the Bengals. Jeremy Hill is finally out of the picture and Mixon is a 3 down back with pass catching abilities. He has legitimate breakout potential. Draft him as a borderline RB1.

Cleveland Browns - Hey, this team actually has talent. Jarvis Landry is in town. Josh Gordon is back. Tyrod Taylor has proven to be a serviceable fantasy quarterback for a couple of years now. And Baker Mayfield appears to be focused and has the skills to last in this league. In a keeper/dynasty league Mayfield is a legitimate target. In one year league, I would still keep an eye on Duke Johnson. Yes they drafted Nick Chubb to be their back of the future, but if your in a PPR league, you must draft Duke Johnson. He has almost 1800 receiving yards in the last 3 seasons. If your able to pull him down as a Flex/RB3 you will find yourself in fantastic shape.Pittsburgh Steelers - Bell or Brown. Next.

Denver Broncos - Rolls Royce! I'm sorry, I had to. But hey, if you do draft Royce Freeman, I just gave you your fantasy team name. I am all aboard the Royce Freeman train. This may be more of a gut feeling than anything, but he has already established himself ahead of Devonte Booker this preseason and each game I think he will distance himself further and further. Freeman tore it up at the University of Oregon and his game should translate well to the pros. Definitely target him in the mid rounds of your fantasy draft.

Kansas City Chiefs - Travis Kelce, Tyreke Hill. Kareem Hunt. All worth picks come draft day, so what if I reverse it and tell you who not to draft? Pat Mahomes. I'm sorry, but I am just not buying in yet. Pat Mahomes put up two pretty good seasons at Texas Tech totaling over 9700 yards in his sophomore and junior seasons combined. But he again he played at Texas Tech, in the Big 12, where defense is optional. His "rise", if you can call it that, sure reminds me a lot of Robert Griffin III who had really one good season at Baylor, also in the Big 12. How is RG3 doing now? I'm not saying I am dead-set on Mahomes being a bust, but it is more so I need to see him play a full year before really buying in. Go with one of the other three guys I listed, but not Mahomes.Los Angeles Chargers - I LOVE Keenan Allen. Made it a priority to draft him last year and it payed off. Also made it a priority to draft him the year before and that burned me week one but lets not live in the past. While more catches will be available with the injury to Hunter Henry, expect them to go to Mike Williams, finally healthy, not Keenan Allen. I still love Allen as a WR2, but if you seriously want to target a Charger, make it Rivers. All he does is put up points every single year and you can draft him so much later than the likes of Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Newton, and others. Stack your other positions and get Rivers late and laugh your way to the championship game.

Oakland Raiders - Lets see. Jordy is on the downswing and needing to learn an entire new offense for the first time in his career. Marshawn Lynch is old. David Carr is a fantasy backup. Then there is Amari Cooper, who again last year showed he still had the yips. Still, he has too much talent to keep dropping balls at the level he did. But he also showed how explosive he can be when he is on. I expect more consistency from him and with Crabtree gone, that leaves Cooper has Carr's most familiar face. If you draft Cooper as a WR2, not a 1, you should be sitting pretty.